Matt Millen Calls Rod Marinelli ‘One of the Best Coaches I Have Ever Been Around’

One of the biggest mysteries in the sports media world is how Matt Millen continues to get prime broadcasting jobs. Millen is the worst GM in the history of the NFL, having presided over the only 0-16 season in league history. The Detroit Lions went a pathetic 34-81 under his watch, absolutely destroying his credibility. Even if he’s smooth on air, how can anyone buy into what he says? It’s already been proven that his opinion is meaningless.

Maybe we’d leave the guy alone because we all know his opinion doesn’t mean squat, but when he has to insult our intelligence he’s asking for our fury. For instance, if you’re Matt Millen, interrupting the telecast to speak glowingly about Rod Marinelli is just not a good idea. Marinelli is the current defensive coordinator of the Bears and the former head coach of the Lions. He coached the only 0-16 team in league history. And here is what Millen said about him during the second quarter Thursday night:

“That guy right there is one of the best coaches I have ever been around. That’s Rod Marinelli, the defensive coordinator. Why is he so good? He is a phenomenal teacher. He makes sure everybody knows exactly what they do, learns how they learn, and then teaches it to each individual. And he’s a stud in terms of coaching his coaches.”

Man, everything he described would embody a fantastic coach. But how good can Marinelli be if his team never won a game in 2008 and they went 10-38 during his three-year tenure? That’s what makes the statement so laughable. Millen, we saw for ourselves how bad Marinelli is as a coach. If he were so good, his team wouldn’t have gone 0-16. That Millen still calls him one of the best coaches he’s ever been around serves to further confirm what we already knew: Millen has horrible judgment as an evaluator.